With Opening Day less than three weeks away, here's a look at the competition facing the Padres in the NL West. In this edition, the free-spending Los Angeles Dodgers:

2012 record: 86-76 (second place)

Position of strength: Rotation depth. Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher in the NL. Offseason addition Zack Greinke is one of its best No. 2s. The Dodgers will fill out the rest of their rotation with some combination of Josh Beckett, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Chad Billingsley, Chris Capuano, Ted Lilly and Aaron Harang -- with the exception of the unproven Ryu, all capable starters.

Weak spot: Defense. For all their athleticism, Matt Kemp and Hanley Ramirez have been minuses defensively over the past few seasons. Left fielder Carl Crawford is coming off Tommy John surgery, and Andre Ethier was gifted an undeserved Gold Glove in 2011.

Person of interest: Starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu. Acquired for $62 million despite never having thrown a pitch state-side, the South Korean lefty has already been fun to watch. He reported to camp weighing 255 pounds, 40 more than he was listed at when the Dodgers signed him. He's since lost at least 15 pounds.